10-23-2008, 06:02 AM | #1 |
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Buy Cybook now or wait for Readius?
Hi all.
I'm looking around for an e-ink reader, as the screen of my Palm Z22 has died/ frozen, and I mainly use it for reading books anyway, so why not on a dedicated reader? I've been following announcements about the Readius, which seems to be a nice option for me (if they ever get around to announcing which DRM format they are going to support...), but I'm concerned about the pricing and availability. Has anybody heard any rumors about an actual launch date? The company showed the device in the Frankfurt Book Fair, but avoided announcing anything about a market launch. How reliable is this company? The thing is, I've been buying loads of books from Fictionwise and reading them on eReader, mostly, and have some secure e-books on my bookshelf, which I didn't have the opportunity to read before running out of a reading device . So, I'm eagerly anticipating any dedicated e-reader that would support this format and be available in Europe as well. Or is that only wishful thinking? So, the next-best choice would be the Cybook, I guess, with Mobipocket support, so that at least I may be able to continue buying from multiple stores, without format conversion - I'm no computer geek and do not want to do anything more taxing than to read , and the ePUB format that Sony alternately supports doesn't seem to have reached the Fictionwise store yet. What should I do? Should I wait or should I buy now? Any input would be welcome. Thank you. Last edited by myral; 10-23-2008 at 06:06 AM. |
10-23-2008, 07:17 AM | #2 |
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The Readius doesn't sound at all like a good choice to me. The biggest issue is the screen resolution, which is only quarter VGA (ie 320x240). On a 5" screen, that's going to result in awfully "blocky" text. Compare to LCD screens of a similar size which are generally 800x600. Another issue, as you mention, is that no support has been announced for any popular eBook format. It sounds like a complete "non starter" to me, I'm afraid.
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10-23-2008, 08:43 AM | #3 | |
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If you were happy with your Palm, I'd suggest buying another one (perhaps second-hand). You could still move over to buying the Mobipocket format (in anticipation of a dedicated reader), as Mobipocket Reader software is available for Palm OS devices.
By this time next year, there should be much better dedicated ebook readers, with much less fragile screens. OTOH, I'm very happy indeed with my CyBook Gen3. Quote:
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10-23-2008, 09:00 AM | #4 |
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If I understand you bought eBooks in eReader format:
“The thing is, I've been buying loads of books from Fictionwise and reading them on eReader(…)” There is no dedicated eBook reader today who can have eReader formatted eBooks [just generic, non protected palm documents (pbd)]. Best regards, |
10-23-2008, 11:58 AM | #5 | |
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Quote:
But my eyes got all red and sore when I read for many hours on end (which happens regularly). That's why I'm inclined to try out e-Ink now and maybe convert to Mobipocket. Although I still think that eReader has the most user friendly DRM scheme (). Thank you for your insights. |
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10-23-2008, 12:23 PM | #6 |
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For reading, you are going to love eInk devices!
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10-23-2008, 12:32 PM | #7 | |
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10-23-2008, 12:33 PM | #8 |
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Based on your "not ... more taxing than to read" criteria, the MOBI format and the Cybook are your best option. The Readius is going to be an interesting device for early adopters, but it is unlikely to provide a seamless reading experience initially and the Cybook is good enough today. In everything except size when not in use, the Cybook is likely to beat the Readius. Small size is an advantage, and foldable screens are in everyones future - but not yet.
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10-23-2008, 12:40 PM | #9 | |
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Ah - in that case, I think you'd be very happy with any of the current eInk devices. They really are much easier on the eyes, because they're purely reflective, not backlight. They also don't have the depth issues of LCDs, where the text is significantly below the surface of the screen.
eReader does have as good a DRM scheme as there is (since it doesn't rely on a central server to authorise devices), but I still prefer Mobipocket. Probably because it's now so easy to strip the DRM :-) Paul Quote:
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10-23-2008, 01:48 PM | #10 |
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Thank you for pointing this out, as all those specs are only meaningless numbers to me and I wouldn't understand what they result in practically. The readius seems even less appealing now.
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10-25-2008, 01:44 PM | #11 |
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Hi again.
Thank you all for your comments. They were very helpful and I finally took the plunge and ordered the Cybook. Now my only concern is how I'm going to justify this to my husband? Maybe a delayed birthday present? Or perhaps my current eye-infection is going to help... (see what happens when you spend all day reading on a backlit screen!) Now the waiting begins... |
10-25-2008, 02:32 PM | #12 | |
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10-25-2008, 02:33 PM | #13 | |
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10-27-2008, 04:52 PM | #14 |
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10-27-2008, 11:45 PM | #15 | |
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i imagine the eye infection should be the ticket for the explaining to hubby part
where'd you order your cybook from? btw, i love mine Quote:
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